Warner Settles With Spitzer

Warner Music Group, one of the largest U.S. record companies, will pay $5 million to settle a New York state probe into how it influenced which songs are played on the radio, New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said on Tuesday.

The probe involved “pay-for-play” practices, commonly known as “payola,” in which companies are accused of paying radio stations or promoters to secure air time for songs.

In July, Sony BMG agreed to pay $10 million to settle a related pay-to-play probe.